À vs De
French prepositions
It is essential to understand the difference between the French prepositions à and de. The meaning of some verbs depends on whether you use à or de, while for other verbs, both prepositions may be used in the same sentence.
Verbs with different meanings with à
and de
décider à to persuade, convince décider de to decide to demander à to ask (for permission) demander de to ask (s.o. to do s.t.*) jouer à to play a game or sport jouer de to play an instrument manquer à to miss someone manquer de to neglect (to do s.t.) (more about manquer) parler à to talk to parler de to talk about penser à to think about (imagine) penser de to think about (opinion) (more about penser) profiter à to benefit profiter de to make the most of venir à to happen to venir de to have just (done s.t.) (more about venir)
Verbs that use both à
and de in the same sentence
conseiller à qqun de faire qqch advise s.o. to do s.t. défendre à qqun de faire qqch forbid s.o. to do s.t. demander à qqun de faire qqch ask s.o. to do s.t. dire à qqun de faire qqch tell s.o. to do s.t. interdire à qqun de faire qqch forbid s.o. to do s.t. ordonner à qqun de faire qqch order s.o. to do s.t. permettre à qqun de faire qqch allow s.o. to do s.t. promettre à qqun de faire qqch promise s.o. to do s.t. téléphoner à qqun de faire qqch call s.o. to do s.t.
qqun quelqu'un s.o. someone qqch quelque chose s.t. something
Expressions with à and de
à côté nearby, next to de côté sideways à côté de next to, beside du côté de from (direction) à la hauteur at the level de hauteur [5 feet] tall il est à Paris he's in Paris il est de Paris he's from Paris prêt* à + inf. prepared to prês* de + inf. near, on the verge of tasse à thé teacup (cup for tea) tasse de thé cup of tea
* These are two different words, but because they are homophones I think it makes sense to include them.
Verbs with à or de
There are a couple of French verbs that can take à or de with little or no difference in meaning
commencer à / de to start continuer à / de to continue
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Summary of à Summary of de Meaning of à vs de |
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